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SHOW WINDOW. v No. 463,848. Patented Nov. 24, 189.1.

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PATENT EETCE.

BENJAMIN B. VAN DERVEER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 463,848, dated November 24, 1891.

Application tiled May 1, 1891. Serial No. 391,292. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. VAN DER- VEER, a citi-zen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Show-Windows, of which the following is a full and exact specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof.

The object of my invention is to so construct a show-window as to enable the storekeeperor other person whois using the showwindow to exhibit a'certain quantity or set of goods for such time as he may desire, either a long or a short period of time, and then to quickly and easily remove from the showwind'ow the goods already exhibited and to substitute in their place another quantity or set of goods, and to in this way display to the public from time to time a large variety of goods. This is accomplished without interfering -with or disturbing in any way the persons who may at the time be engaged in lool;- ing at the show-window or what it contains. The entire work: of replacing one set of articles with another set of articles is accomplished by mechanism which is within or below the show-window, so that the result is accomplished easily and quickly and without making it necessary for any person to carry goods back and forth from or to the showwindow through the crowd that may happen to be surrounding the show-window at the time.

My invention consists in providing a suitable show window or case, which is supported upon the floor of the exhibiting-room or store with a movable platform or bottom, and making a suitable opening in the lower end of the window and a corresponding opening or aperture in the supporting-Hoor in line with the other opening, the movable platform being shaped so as to be adapted to pass through these openings in the show-window and the fioor, and in providing means for raising or lowering the said platform or bottom, whereby when it is desirable to exhibit a new lot of goods the platform of the show-window may be lowered to the level of the basement,

or to some lower point where any desiredchange can be easily and quickly made, after which the bottom or platform of the show# window can be again raised into position, so as to expose to the view of the public the new set of goods, and in providing a curtain or similar device for cutting od the view when the platform of the show-window has been lowered from its usual position, and for also serving as an ornamental feature of the showwindow. i

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of my improved show-window, partly in section, showing the bottom or platform of the show-window in its lowest position; and Fig. 2 is a similar view, except that no part is in section, and the bottom or platform of the show-window is raised into its highest position.

Referring to the drawings, o, represents a glass show-window, of suitable size and shape. In the drawings this is represented as round in form, with its upper end rounded oft or completed in some ornamental manner. This part of my improvement can of course be made of any shape that maybe desiredfor example, it may be made square or round, or in any other suitable manner. This window is supported upon the iioor of the exhibitingroom or store, either directly or by means of an intervening stand of suitable form, the'only essential point in this connection being that the glass window must extend far enough down to enable the contents of the window tbeseen fully bythe public. If the window extends down to and rests upon the door, as is shown in the drawings, it should be protected at the lower end bya foot-board or some suitable shielding device or cover extending around the outside of it and rising up to such a point that there will be no danger of a window being broken.

b represents the floor of the store upon which the show-window is to be used.

c represents the bottom o': platform of the showswindow. This is made of such size and shape as to nicely tit the lower end of ther show-window. It is supported or held in place by means of the ropes or chains d. These ropes or chains are attached to the part c in any suitable manner. The ropes orchains pass over pulleys e, that are placed in suitable positions and have their lower ends wound upon the drum or cylinder f. This drum is mounted in bearings, so that it can be easily revolved, and is supplied with a suitable crank or other device, by means of which it can be turned. By turningthe drum the ropes or chains can be unwound from the drum or can be wound upon it, and in this way the bottom or platform of the showwin dow can be lowered or raised.

It is desirable to employ some means for guiding the motion of the movable platform c, so that it will not become displaced in any way or get out of position, but will always move accurately into its position at the bottom of the show-window.

In the form of my invention shown in the accompanying drawings the movable bottom c is guided in its motion by the rods g, which pass up into the glass case at the sides and through suitable bearings. These rods g also serve to support the curtain 7i. This curtain is mounted upon the rings 1T, which rings are attached to and supported by the rods g. The

curtain 7L is made of-such a size as to properly and closely lit the glass window and has a circular top piece or cover. When the mov able bottom c is lowered from its usual position, the curtain 7i is also lowered, and when the movable bottom c has reached its lowest position the curtain 7L will be at the lower end of the show window. By this means, when the movable bottom c is not in place for exhibitiombutis in itslowestposition,thepublic will be prevented from looking through the glass case and down through the opening in the floor intov the space below. This is desirable, as it would be rather unsightly and inartistic if a person standing by the showwindow could see through the opening down into the space below, and if whatever work was actually done in the matter of substituting a new set of goods in place of the old ones should thus be open to the view of the public. It will thus be seen that the curtain h is connected with the movable platform or bottom in such a way as to move up and down within the window at the same time with the platform.

In the ordinary use of my device a table is placed upon the movable bottom c, this table being ornamental in character, so as to be pleasing to the eye, and the goods which are to be exhibited are arranged upon this table in some tasteful manner. This table is then placed, after it has been prepared in the way mentioned, upon the movable platform or bottom c, and the latter is raised into place. After these goods have been exhibited as long as is desirable the movable bottom c is lowered again and a second table, which has beenV meanwhile arranged with other goods, is put in place of the first table which was exhibited,

after which the bottom c is again raised into the show-window. In this way the work of preparing or arranging the different tables with their varied lines of goods can be done in the basement or the lower floor, out of sight, and the second table can be thus prepared while the first table is heilig exhibited, and S0 Oll.

The actual operation of lowering the bottom c and removing a table from it and substituting a new table already arranged in place ofthe latter and then raising the bottom c can be performed in a verybrief space of time, so that the exhibiting-platform will be in sight practically all the time and the window will have a very large variety of goods exhibited within it. The public will not be disturbed or annoyed in any way by this changing of the goods exhibited, as the entire work is done from within or below the window, In redecorating or refurnishing the ordinary show-window all the goods have to be carried to and from that show-window on the same iloor where the case is situated. This is very inconvenient if it has to be done when the store is open to the public, as the carrying of the goods back and forth will be more or less of an annoyance tothe people who happen to be in that part of the store at the time.

By means of my improvement I can make a practically unlimited number of changes in the goods that are exhibited without in any way disturbing the patrons of the store or causing any confusion or inconvenience.

The mechanism for lowering or raising the movable bottom c may be greatly varied, as my invention is not in any way limited to any particular form or species of mechanism for accomplishing this result. The curtain may be arranged in a different manner from that shown in the drawings, so that when the movable bottom c is raised into position the curtain l1, will be lowered out of sight, instead of beingraised to the top of the show-window, and so that when the movable bottom eis lowered to its lowest position thevcurtain 7b will be raised into view, so as to prevent the public from looking down into the space below.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a glass showwin dow supported upon the floor of the exhibiting-room or store `and provided with a suitable opening at its lower end,the supportingfloor provided-with a corresponding aperture in line with the openingin the show-window, a movable bottom or platform adapted to pass through the openings in the showwindow and the door, and mechanism for raising and lowering the platform, and a movable curtain shaped to lit the window closely and connected with the movable platform so as to move within the window at the same time with the platform and to conceal from view the lower IOO part of the show-Window When the platform of the guide-rods, and mechanism for loweris lowered out of position, substantially as ing and raising the movable bottom, together 1o shown and described. with theguide-rods and curtain, substantially 2. The combination,-in a sliow-Window,of a as shown and described. suitable' show-case, a movable bottom in the BENJAMIN B. VAN DERVEER. show-case, guide-rods attached to the Inov- Witnesses: able bottom and extending up into the shoW- VILLIAM H. KENY ON, case, a curtain supported at the upper ends ROBERT N. KENYON. 

